It's morning in Miami again. The courts are open, the hotels are full, the beaches littered with pale northeasterners turning bright red as they sip pina coladas or chug beers.
Before we begin in earnest, check out Mr. Markus in Newsweek and on twitter arguing why the Cosby case should result in his client Ghislaine Maxwell being released on bond.
Our calendar has random historical events that have appealed to us over the years as something we want to remember. So on any given day we might receive a remainder that Ali beat Forman, or Dimaggio began his 56 game hitting streak or that Nixon resigned, Brown vs Board of Ed was decided, or that Corporal Klinger from MASH began wearing dresses ( April 22 - which is also the same day Nixon died and one day after Hitler's birthday).
July 1 is a particularly busy day in history. Dwight Eisenhower married Maime in 1916. It is the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and if you are looking for some great weekend beach reading while ogling the tourists, Killer Angels- the historical fiction account of the battle is a wonderful book. The Battle of Cachy Woods in WWI -often called "The Great War" and now becoming "the forgotten world war"- began in France in 1916.
TR - Teddy Roosevelt- one of our favourite presidents- stormed Kettle and San Juan hills in Santiago de Cuba in 1898. For you trivia buffs, TR's horse was called "Texas" and he called the two battles "my crowded hour" as he led his Rough Riders up two hills and into two successful battles that gave TR the gravitas he was looking for to help his political career.
Added to our calendar will be "The day Judge Sayfie became Chief Judge-Miami, Florida."
We'd like to imagine a historical tinged changing of the guard ceremony where bailiffs dressed in their best march in and oversee a ceremonial handing off of the gavel, or something like that. More than likely Judge Soto tossed Sayfie the keys and chuckled something like "they're your problem now" as Judge Sayfie assumed the leadership of two hundred plus black-clad prima donnas who envision the arc of their career as something like county court, circuit court, 11th circuit, supreme court, secretary of state, vice president..."
In any event we should pause a moment and reflect on the leadership of Judge Soto, the first Hispanic and Female Judge to lead the 11th judicial circuit of Florida. She joins the pantheon of great chief judges like Weatherington and Farina. She oversaw the completion of the new juvenile court house, and tried her level best to get a new civil court house built. And of course her leadership in keeping courts running during the pandemic- with no playbook to follow- and critics like us shouting from the rooftops to close the courts- was spectacular. She was the steady hand needed at the tiller in the great storm of 2020.
Judge Sayfie is entitled to some time to get things running. So we will be quiet this weekend and lets see all the great new changes she institutes on Tuesday July 6, 2021. Until then, enjoy the honeymoon.